Food delivery services: Overrated or underrated?

Food delivery services are everywhere now. Between Postmates, UberEats and other delivery services, food delivery is a societal norm. In most situations, these services are completely overrated but situations where people are without transportation, these services are perfect.

Uber Eats and Postmates are overrated when people just use it because of pure laziness. If I order a ten-piece McNuggets Meal from McDonald’s on North Virginia Street and East 5th Street, and have Uber Eats deliver it to campus, the meal becomes around $25. However, if I were to just walk or drive myself, the meal would be around $8. It seems ridiculous to pay almost three to four times as much for a meal.

Another factor is, the drive from campus to this McDonald’s is about three minutes. By the time you would get into a car, order your food and come back, it would take just as long for the Uber Eats driver to get to your location. If not, you could even make it back sooner. According to Uber Eats, and these locations, it would take fifteen to twenty-five minutes to get your food delivered. If you have the ability to pick up your own food, then these food services aren’t worth it.

As a college student food delivery services get the perfect amount of hype. As a freshman, most people don’t have transportation to be able to get food. Which is why food delivery makes sense, they’re underrated to an extent. As a student who may be stuck in the dorms, stuck on campus, or even a student who doesn’t have a car, Uber Eats or Postmates can be the perfect option for getting a quick meal when you’re tired of DC food.

If I’m in the library doing a group project with a bunch of people who are counting on me, and the only time we can meet is during dinner, I’m forced to go do my project with a rumbling stomach in the MIKC. If I start getting hungry, I could order from one of the companies and grab the food from them when they arrive. I would be able to balance school without starving myself. This is so much easier than trying to drive somewhere and pick up food, which could potentially take a lot longer. At least while I’m waiting for the food, I’m putting my time towards something valuable like a group project.

Not every student wants to eat in the cafeteria every day or even has the chance to eat. Some students don’t have cars either. By this point, why not order food through Uber Eats or Postmates? It seems like a perfect solution for those put in that situation, and it’s very reasonable.

While these delivery services could be very convenient and helpful to those who actually may need it, there isn’t a point to spend an extra five dollars to get your food 40 minutes later. Why would you pay way more for a meal or wait hours for food that could take ten minutes top, if you were to just drive or walk? Food delivery services are extremely overrated.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or of its staff. Lauren Turner is a student at the University of Nevada and studies journalism and english. She can be reached at jaceygonzalez@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.